The Pennants Project
The Pennants Project Who’s Who?
Dr Lola Ramocan, wife of His Excellency Seth George Ramocan, previous Jamaican High Commissioner to UK, is Patron of the Jamaica Wales Alliance. Lola has personal links with Pennants and knows the area well.
The Pennants Project is managed by the Jamaica Wales Alliance / Pennants Project Committee chaired by Coy Roache and the Pennants Heritage Research Group is chaired by Dr Vivian Crawford. Lorna Thomas and Iva Johnson are members of the Pennants Community Development Committee and founder members exploring possibilities with us,
The Custos of Clarendon is Edith Chin, and Eurica Douglas represents the Custos’s Office, managing the Clarendon Community Development Committee Benevolent Committee which manages any funds sources we find for agreed community use.
Representatives of May Pen and Denbigh Rotary Clubs join the weekly PPC Zoom sessions, along with Tothnielia Ellis, Chair of the Pennants Rotary Community Corps and Chair of the Governors of Pennants Basic School. Rotarian Dr Walter Leavell has been our main lead – along with Rotarian Deane Cover.
Liz Millman co-ordinates the informal weekly Zoom meetings when both groups meet together with friends from NWJS and other organisations as we build bridges of friendship
The following are the potential areas identified to work on:
1) collecting stories from older residents in Pennants District – supported by
Dr Kirt Henry from the Jamaica Memory Bank - these stories will be of great interest to people in Wales, as they share the reality of lives of folks who may be the descendants of the Pennants family’s enslaved workforce.
2) exploring the Tenants Strike and Robert Rumble’s story – funds are allocated to provide Heritage signing and refurbish Robert Rumbles grave site. This story has great resonance to the people in North Wales, as their slate quarrying ancestors went on strike in 1900, also against Lord Penrhyn.
Prof Anthony Bogues from Brown University in US has been able to give us some support
as he met and interviewed Robert Rumble.
3) remembering the people enslaved and working on the Pennant family plantations - Prof Celia Naylor came to speak to our Black History Conversations about her research into the enslaved workers on the Rose Hall plantation, and this co-incided with the release by Bangor University Archive online of some of the Penrhyn Papers collection listing the names and roles of enslaved workers. NWJS Community Researcher, Lesley Evans has now done amazing work in Bangor University Archives listing the names of all the enslaved workers - so these can be memorialised.
4) developing ideas for reinstating a Library and creating a Heritage Centre in Pennants, which the community will benefit from as their branch library is now closed. We may be able to access funding to support this. This would also be of interest to visitors wanting to understand more about the island’s heritage and have a real Jamaican experience!